(Many years ago I worked for a national department store chain. I had been working there long enough to accrue three weeks of paid vacation time. At the time, the company had a strange policy of requiring the employees to take a full week of vacation at a time. We were not allowed to break it into smaller segments. During this time, my mother was hospitalized with cancer and spent several days in ICU. I appealed to the HR manager, and he allowed me to take three days of paid vacation to help my mom when she was released from the hospital. A few months later, I decided I needed a little more time off, so I requested another two days. The HR manager was on vacation at the time, so I got called into the assistant HR manager’s office.)

Assistant HR: “I see you have requested two days of vacation. You know you have to take a whole week, right?”

Me: “Yes, but [HR Manager] allowed me to take three days last time. I just want to take the two days left on that week.”

Assistant HR: “But you have to take a week.”

Me: “I don’t need a whole week. I just want the two days.”

Assistant HR: “Company policy requires that you take a week.”

Me: “I have two weeks and two days left. If I take a week now, and a week later, I will still have two days of vacation left that you will have to pay me for, right?”

Assistant HR: “That is correct.”

Me: “So, why can’t I just take those two days now instead of later?”

Assistant HR: “Company policy states that you must take a week.”

(I gave up trying to argue with her and took the week off. While I was off, I discovered that [National Home Improvement Retailer] was hiring for entry-level accounting positions. During that week off, I interviewed, was drug tested, and hired by the home improvement company. When I returned to the department store after my required week of vacation, I submitted my resignation.)